Hollow Past
by Mahiwaga no Megumi
Summary: Sakura never really told anyone how or why she came to Konoha. It just never came up or they just assumed she had been born there like they had. But Sakura's life before Konoha is coming back. Can she protect her old loved ones and her new ones? SakuXHitsu
1. What happened to Sakura?

Hollow Past

Me: Okay, I really shouldn't be making a new story when I have another one still in the works, but I have too many plot bunnies running through my head and I just had to make them leave somehow.

Naruto: You have bunnies in your head? Ooo! Can I see? *Grabs saw*

Me: O.O What is that for?

Naruto: To open your head! And wabbit soup. Hehehe =)

Me: *slowly backs away* Okay…… You are not allowed near my head.

Naruto: *drops saw* Awwwwwwww! That's mean.

Me: Anyways, here is my first crossover! Yay!

* * *

A figure walked leisurely down the white hallway, towards a large pair of doors. He walked past the doors, into large spacious room. Across from where he stood a high raised platform sat, completed by a large throne on top. He bowed to the man who regally sat upon the throne, before addressing him, "Aizen-sama."

"Ah, Ulquoirra. I have a job for you." Aizen replied, smiling merrily while simultaneously leaning on his right fist. Ulquoirra simply bowed again.

"Hai, Aizen-sama." He said obediently.

-

Haruno Sakura ran through the forest, moving gracefully towards the roars coming from the training grounds.

"Why the hell are they showing up now?" She wondered aloud. The roars were getting closer and she skidded to a halt. Before her was a weird looking ape like creature its face covered by a large white mask. When she had arrived, making a rather loud noise as she dig her heels into the ground to stop, it turned and looked at her.

"Shinigami, huh?" It laughed creepily,"I haven't had a good meal in days! You will certainly give me my fill!" It ended it's declaration with a loud roar.

"Me? Get eaten by such a low level Hollow?" Sakura scoffed while glaring."I don't think so." She grabbed something at her waist that clacked while her other hand grabbed onto something in the same general area.

"Scorch the skies, Shiroi Honou!" She called. It still appeared that nothing was in her hands but when she made a quick hand seal, something in her arms shimmered. She now held a pair of beautifully, elegant, crafted twin swords that gleamed brightly in the light. Both swords were completely white with white silk covering the engraved handles. One sword had what oddly looked like an ornate mirror that was bordered in white wood hanging from the bottom like a pommel and the other simply had an elaborate white charm dangling as a pommel with white silken strands flowing from a single point on the bottom of the charm. "Try to eat me Hollow-yarou **(1)**!"

The hollow simply roared, charging towards her. Sakura stood with both her swords ready for the immanent attack with confidence. Just as it was about to strike her, an orange flash shot out in front of her, blocking the attack. She looked on in shock. "Naruto!" Naruto flew across the clearing and slowly got up in shock. He had a cut down his shoulder that was staining his black and orange jacket.

"What the hell?" He mumbled. "I know I was in the right position to block it. So how did it still hit me?" While Naruto was examining his shoulder in complete bewilderment, Sakura glared at the hollow and tightened her grip on her swords.

"Oho!" The hollow crowed in delight. "You can see me as well, kozou **(2)**? This shall be a very good meal for me indeed!" He roared and lunged again. This time Sakura blocked the blow with her dual swords.

"You think I'll let you!" She yelled. Naruto watched in awe as Sakura danced gracefully around the hollow with her swords, sometimes clashing or slicing against the hollow. Both opponents soon jumped to either side of the clearing. Sakura was glaring and berating herself for being this out of practice. The hollow was heaving heavily, trying to stand upright.

"You've done well shinigami to be able to withstand my attacks for so long," He reared himself up. "But now you die!" He roared and barreled forward. Sakura stood calmly and looked at the hollow running towards her critically. She soon flashed in front of the hollow and sliced through his white mask. The hollow roared in anger but then disappeared into particles of bright blue light. Sakura was still glaring but now her glare was directed at the ground.

"Damn it!" She swore. How could she allow herself to get so rusty? She should have been able to take that hollow down easily! Yet it took her the same amount of time as an academy student. She felt so pathetic. She gripped her zanpakutou in her hands tightly. She would have to find a way to balance both her shinobi training and her shinigami training. She stalked off to find another training ground as Naruto watched her go. He was astounded at what he had just seen. Sakura had a weird changing sword, she knew what she was fighting, and apparently was a shinigami. He sat contemplating for a while, forgetting about his injured shoulder, which healed as he sat there. There was something about Sakura that he and the others never knew. He sat there thinking well into the afternoon. Should he tell Tsunade? She might already know and could explain it to him. Should he tell his team? Yamato and Kakashi might know too. He would have to see. But why would Sakura keep this from them? Didn't she trust him, Sasuke and Sai? Sure, Sasuke had come back a while ago but they worked well together now. He stood up and made his way to the Hokage tower. He found Tsunade sitting at her desk, sober, busily doing paperwork.

"Baa-chan." He said. She looked up and glared at him slightly.

"How many times have I told you not to call me baa-chan?" She growled. He shook his head.

"That's not important right now. Right now, I just found out Sakura is hiding something from us."

Tsunade looked at him surprised before asking, "Are you sure?" Naruto nodded.

"I found out today. Sakura is not who she says she is. She seems to be a completely different person." Naruto said. Tsunade placed her chin behind her folded hands.

"Explain."

"Today, I went to find Sakura after she had mysteriously run off. When I found her, she was in a training ground facing off against an odd creature that could harm me but I could not harm it. And even stranger, Sakura was able to slay it with a sword when I couldn't even hit it with kunai. Then the creature disappeared into blue particles. But the weirdest part was that it called her a shinigami." Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure it said shinigami? There is only one shinigami and no one knows what it looks like. Besides, Sakura's real. Not a ghost. You don't pass through her when you touch her right?" Naruto nodded. "So she can't be a shinigami as that thing claimed." Naruto just shrugged.

"I'm just telling you what I saw baa-chan." Tsunade's eye twitched.

"What have I told you about calling me that?!" She yelled. Naruto high tailed it out of there before she could hit him. Tsunade turned her chair to look out the window.

"Sakura, are you hiding something from us?" She mused aloud.

* * *

**(1) Hollow-Yarou : should mean hollow bastard.**

**(2) kozou: boy**

Me: Okay, I must thank my lovely beta for going over this story for me. Also, I'm trying to figure out a pairing that will be the permanent one. I already have one in mind but I'm sure many of my readers will want something else. So review and suggest and NARUTO WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING NEAR MY HEAD!!!!!!!!

Naruto: *holding saw above head* Ummmmmm…. To not be near it?

Me: *glares* And what are you doing?

Naruto: I want to see the rabbits!

Me: Naruto, there are no actual rabbits in my head. If there were and they were bouncing around, it would hurt!

Naruto: Awwww. And I wanted to see the bunnies. *goes to put saw away dejectedly*

Me: *rolls eyes* Anyway, I figure I should give you a hint as to the pairing I have in mind. Ne Toushiro-kun?

Toushiro: *shrugs*

Me: That's right ladies and gentlemen! It's Hitsugaya Toushiro, the tenth captain! Hmmmmm….. I wonder when dear Sakura will get here. Ah! There she is!

Sakura: *blushes* Hi Toushiro-kun.

Toushiro: *slightly reddens* Sakura.

Me: Aren't they so cute?!

Sasuke: Hn. *glares*

ME: Ah, Sasuke. You may get your chance. The readers have to vote on the pairing and I may do an alternate ending depending on the reviews. We shall just have to see. So you better review!!!!!!!!! Ja ne! Oh! Wait! Side note: To my readers of Sakura Enchanted, if you are reading this, I will have the new chapter up once I get over my embarrassment and write the damn intimate scene.

Sakura: You just gave that part away!

Me: O.O Uh, oops. Uh, uh, bye! *runs off*


	2. A man in white?

**Me: Wow. I got more reviews than I did when I first started my other story. O.O Ah well. I'm actually quite flattered. This one picked up better than Sakura Enchanted.**

**Naruto: But that had me in it! Does that mean people don't like me? *crocodile tears***

**Hinata: N-Naruto-kun, didn't you read this one? Y-You're here.**

**Naruto: *puppy dog face* Really?**

**Me: WAH! KAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *glomps***

**Tenten: I though Naruto wasn't allowed near your head.**

**Me: *temporarily comes out of revere* No, he's allowed but only when he doesn't have sharp point things. *goes back to glomping Naruto* Oi Hinata! You could join in you know!**

**Naruto: N-Need to breathe!!!!!!!!!**

**Me: *lets go* Whoops!**

**Naruto: *takes in deep gulps of air* **

**Toushiro: Are we going to get on with this or not?**

* * *

**Me: Mah, mah. So impatient but you are right. So let's get started!**

_Recap:_

"_What have I told you about calling me that?!" She yelled. Naruto high tailed it out of there before she could hit him. Tsunade turned her chair to look out the window._

"_Sakura, are you hiding something from us?" She mused aloud._

_**-**_

_**Hollow Past**_

_**-**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**-**_

Sakura quickly sliced the air behind her before sighing. She had been training since her battle with the hollow, but she didn't know if she had gotten any better. Sakura sat in front of a large tree in the training grounds. Taking a long drink from the water bottle she had with her, she sighed again. How could she have let herself slip so easily in her training? She was a---- Her thoughts were interrupted by another Hollow yell. She frowned. Now she knew something was up. She grabbed her zanpakutou from beside her and raced off to the noise. When she had pinpointed where it was on her cell phone, she cursed. It had to freakin' show up in the most populated area of the day.

"Goddamnit", She muttered. "Now I'm going to have to use a damn henge to disguise myself." She made the appropriate hand signs and now instead of a pink haired, green eyed girl, Sakura was now a brown haired, chocolate eyed girl. She raced to the marketplace and whizzed by the many people running away from that area. When she actually arrived at the area, she saw many ninjas already trying to destroy or at least subdue the Hollow. However, none of their attacks worked and many were panicking. "Stand back." She called out to them. Some of them listen while others simply ignored her and continued their futile attack. She unsheathed her zanpakutou, not even bothering to unleash her shikai, and sliced the hollow cleanly in two, which purified the hollow and sent the souls to Soul Society.

The ninja there watched in awe and confusion. How was it that that girl's katana was able to slice the monster into two when their weapons and jutsus couldn't even scratch it?

"Who are you?" One brave ninja called out.

"I'm simply a traveler passing through." Sakura answered before sheathing her sword and walking away. (Just so you know, she's wearing the shinigami uniform right now. Not her shinobi outfit.)

"Matte kudasai! **(1)**" One of the shinobi called out. "We need to see your traveling papers." Sakura looked back at him and he shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Not that we are ungrateful for your help but it is village policy. We need to see your authorized traveling pass before allowing you to roam freely around Konoha." Sakura simply turned back and continued walking. "Oi!" He called out again. Sakura just waved her hand in a goodbye measure.

"I don't need it as I don't plan on staying." She said then disappeared in a flash. The shinobi just shrugged but yelled out to another.

"The rest of you can go home. I'll report to Hokage-sama." The others around him nodded and left.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to her training ground and was able to remove the henge. She sat on the grass to conserve her strength as the henge had drained her slowly. She was glad that no one saw through her disguise and wouldn't have to answer what could possibly be awkward questions. She collected any of her stuff that she had left there in her haste and headed back home.

Tsunade sat at her desk in contemplation. First Naruto came to her with an outlandish story of this incorporeal monster that Sakura could defeat and then another report comes in of another attack by a similar monster that was defeated by a young woman with brown hair. Was it just a coincidence or was there a connection to all of this? Something was happening right under their noses and it seemed her apprentice was in the middle of all this. She would have to ask Sakura to find out what was happening.

"Shizune!" She yelled out. A flustered looking lady entered carrying a small stack of paper and was being followed by a pig with a pearl necklace and vest.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?" She asked, breathlessly.

"Bring Sakura here Now." She said. Shizune nodded.

"Hai." She then dropped off the papers, much to Tsunade's annoyance, and exited the room. Tsunade grabbed the first page off the new pile and growled. Who the hell wanted to get the main village import changed to those stupid perverted books by Jiraiya? She angrily marked rejected a million times so that the page was covered in red ink when a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter!" She called. Shizune entered sheepishly. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Shizune? I thought you were getting Sakura?" Shizune scratched her cheek, embarrassed.

"Ano, Tsunade-sama, there is someone getting Sakura but I have to take some papers away." Tsunade's face lit up at the prospect of less paperwork.

"Really?" Shizune nodded.

"Hai. Gomen Tsunade-sama. I accidentally left the reject pile here before I just left." Tsunade looked at the pile in front of her that was now part way done.

"Goddamnit." She muttered.

Sakura was leisurely walking along a path between training grounds when a ripping sound came form behind her. She quickly whipped around and her eyes widened as she recognized what was happening. A black rip was appearing before her and a figure stepped out of the darkness. He looked mostly human but had what looked to be remnants of a hollow mask on his head. He wore a white outfit with black outlining and a sword hung at his side. Sakura gasped as she recognized that the man had many of the characteristics of an-

"Arrancar." She whispered. He looked straight at her and had no expression on his face.

"Haruno Sakura. My name is Ulquoirra Cifer. You are to come with me. Aizen-sama wishes to see you." Sakura's eyes widened.

"Aizen?" She whispered.

Flash back

"_Ulquoirra, I want you to travel to the shinobi world and retrieve something precious for me." Ulquoirra looked up at his master._

"_And what will I be retrieving that is so precious to you" He asked. Aizen smirked._

"_The hidden daughter of the King, Haruno Sakura."_

In Soul Society……….

Yamamoto Genryusai-soutaichou sat looking at the papers on his desk in a pensive position. His brow furrowed before calling for a messenger.

"Send for Hitsugaya-taichou, immediately."

* * *

**(1)- Please wait!**

**Me: Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn! So what do you think of that?**

**Sakura: Wow. I didn't think I was so important.**

**Naruto: Sakura-chan! How could you hide something from me! *cries crocodile tears***

**Me: There, there Naruto. Now I know this is short but I would like some more reviews unless you are completely fine with a HitsuXSaku pairing, which by the way seems very scarce. And that sucks! I love this pairing! It's so cute!**

**Sakura & Toushiro: *Look at each other than looks away, blushing***

**Me: See! Aren't they adorable?! And now I must leave you and hope I get reviews! Ja!**


	3. An old friend? Part 1?

**Me: Okay, third chapter has arrived!**

**Naruto: Alright! Let's go! Wooooooooooo!**

**Me: Naruto……**

**Naruto: Yeah?**

**Me: Why are you acting all excited? You do know that this story is centered on Sakura and her being paired up to another guy, right?**

**Naruto: ……… Why must you always pair my innocent sister to all these men! What has she ever done to you! Why must you continue to give her away! I raised her from a baby to what she is today and-**

**Sakura: NARUTO!!!!! Stop lying!**

**Me: Actually, he's just being completely melodramatic. Always knew he could be a drama king if he wanted.**

**Naruto: *still ranting and raving about poor innocent Sakura***

**Sakura: Honestly.**

**Toushiro: Can we just move on please?**

**Me: Yeah, okay. If you don't get some stuff then please tell me and I will clarify to the best of my ability and I will be continuously changing the words I use to describe stuff since the shinobi don't know that much about the whole Shinigami thing. Oh! Voting is closed! Pairing is obvious since I was rooting for it at the start though we may add small crushes here and there………. Hehe. Don't mind me! Just read on. *Goes off mumbling***

* * *

_Recap:_

_Yamamoto Genryusai-soutaichou sat looking at the papers on his desk in a pensive position. His brow furrowed before calling for a messenger._

"_Send for Hitsugaya-taichou, immediately."_

_Now:_

_**-**_

_**Hollow Past**_

_**-**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**-**_

Hitsugaya Toushiro was walking towards his office when a jigoku chou fluttered in front of his face. He raised an eyebrow questioningly before his face turned serious as he heard the message. He simply nodded his head in agreement.

"Of course. Tell Yamamoto-soutaichou that I will be there shortly. As soon as the jigoku chou flew off, he shunpo-ed towards the first division's building. Upon entering the sparse office of the formidable general, he was greeted with the site of Yamamoto talking hurriedly to his fukutaichou, Sarutobi Hizuren. Both turned their heads towards him when he entered.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-kun, it is good that you made it here quickly. It seems we have a situation in the real world." Toushiro looked at him stoically wondering how large the problem was to have been the one called here. "I'm sure you are wondering why we have specifically called you for this matter." Toushiro simply nodded and Yamamoto stood from his desk. He pulled a map out and laid it on his desk, "As you know, in the real world, there is one part of the world that we do not venture into because the souls in this area are so strong, they automatically come here. As such, hollows do not appear often nor do they go there since there are no souls to devour there. We thought that it would be the perfect place to hide a very important treasure that the King entrusted to us." Sarutobi moved from behind the desk to beside Toushiro and pulled a picture from a file.

"This is the treasure." He handed Toushiro the picture and moved back. Toushiro looked at the picture in his hands and his eyes widened. In the picture was a girl, a girl that he knew. A girl he had played with when he was younger. A girl he hadn't seen for 15 years. She was sitting under a tree laughing at two boys who were rolling around on the floor. One had vibrant blond hair, the other an odd black with bluish tint. The wind seemed to be blowing as her pink hair was dancing in the wind.

"Yes, we know that you are familiar with her. That is part of the reason you were chosen. A few minutes ago, our sensors picked up an arrancar entering into the shinobi countries. You are to go there and make sure she is safe," Yamamoto said. "Once you have determined so, contact us but remain there. Now that Aizen may know that the King's daughter exists, we may have more arrancar appearances in those countries." Toushiro nodded, seemingly calm, but on the inside, he was wondering if all of this was really possible.

"We will send back up as soon as we can get a team together." Sarutobi said. Toushiro nodded in understanding.

"When will I be leaving?" He asked.

"Now."

**-**

Sakura stared at Ulquiorra in shock and confusion, her eyes wide.

"Aizen?" Ulquiorra simply looked at her. She stared back before asking, "What would Aizen want with me?" Ulquiorra still just simply looked at her.

"I do not know. I was simply asked to retrieve you for him. He must find you useful or he would not have bothered. I do not see it now but I am sure that Aizen-sama knows what he is doing." Sakura's brain was running at 100 mph. What would Aizen want with her? She only vaguely remembered him as the gobantai (fifth division) taichou that Hinamori-chan idolized. She hadn't met him nor did she think that she had enough significance to attract the attention of the megane (glasses) wearing taichou. But more importantly, what was a captain of one of the Gotei 13 doing with arrancar? And this one, Ulquiorra, seems to serve him, willingly too. What has she missed in all these years away? She had to get somewhere safe but she also couldn't endanger the village if a fight did break out. Sakura stealthily started to inch her feet into a position to run. She didn't know if she could take on an arrancar by herself and she would rather not try right now. She still felt she was weak since her earlier fight. She saw that Ulquiorra saw her shift and mentally cursed. They both blurred and appeared on the opposite sides of the pathway. He simply looked at her impassively.

"I do not wish to take more time than needed. Aizen-sama wishes to see you, so I ask you to come with me." Sakura knew that if she fought now she may lose and that would not be ideal because she didn't want to go with this guy. She felt his strong reiatsu and the fact that he was an arrancar would make the fight all the more harder. She had no idea how to fight him and had no idea what his attacks would be. Granted he may not know much about her but she could not take that chance. So the advantage was in his side of the court. She mentally cursed again.

"_Damn it. How do I get out of this?"_ Sakura racked her brain before reaching a usable thought. "_That's right! Soul Society has sensors to tell shinigami if hollows are around. If I can stay here long enough, it may give them enough time to send someone to help!" _Sakura paused. "_Wait a minute. I'm acting like a scared academy student who is just starting out! Get a hold of yourself Sakura! You can't let some arrancar psyche you out! You are a strong kunoichi trained by Tsunade-sama herself! You are also an ass-kicking shinigami!"_ She paused again. _"Well maybe not ass-kicking yet, but still! I can do this!"_ Sakura slid her foot back and placed herself in a defensive position. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

"_Aizen-sama simply said to retrieve her but he did not mention what condition. If he wanted her unharmed and I do fight, I waste time and will have done my job improperly."_ He mentally sighed, "_I hate wasting time."_ His head turned slightly. The girl was proving difficult to deal with right now and he would need more information if he was to successfully get her to Aizen-sama unharmed. "I am wasting time here. However, I will be back again. Hopefully you will make a better choice, Haruno Sakura." He snapped his fingers and a rip started to open behind him. He stepped through, turned back around and stated. "Until we meet again." Sakura watched the rip close before sighing in relief. "_Well, at least he's gone, for now."_

"SAKURA!" Sakura turned to the voice and saw Shizune running towards her. Shizune came to a stop in front of her and smiled. "I'm glad I caught you. Tsunade-sama wants to see you in her office." Sakura nodded and smiled.

"Okay. Thanks Shizune-sempai." Sakura headed to the Hokage tower and went straight to Tsunade's office. She knocked on the door and waited to be acknowledged before entering. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, facing the window with a contemplative expression on her face. After Sakura opened the door, Tsunade turned her chair around.

"Ah, Sakura. Good you're here," She picked up a couple of papers. "You know of that large monster attack in the marketplace right?" Sakura nodded. "You know it was the oddest thing. When some of the civilians were interviewed, they just thought that there was an earthquake that was making the ground shake and destroy the area. But when I talked to the shinobi, they said that there was a monster present that was extremely hard to hit or wound. Then they tell me that a brown haired girl destroyed the monster simply by slicing it. Now Sakura, I would not have found this odd but Naruto came to me this morning," Sakura stiffened slightly, "He told me a similar story. There was a monster present in the training grounds that was hard to hit or wound yet you were able to slice it with your katana." Tsunade fixed Sakura with a hard stare. "You seem to know what these things are. Have you been withholding information from us?" Sakura stood perfectly still and her face was the epitome of calm but inside she was sweating like hell.

"_Holy Crap! How the hell do I get out of this one? It was so much easier facing down that arrancar than facing Tsunade-sama!_" Sakura racked her brain to try to think of a plausible excuse when a shinobi burst into the room.

"Hokage-sama! There is another attack occurring near the KIA memorial!" Both Sakura and Tsunade's eyes widened before they shot of to the memorial. Many shinobi were also there when they arrived, trying to valiantly fight the monster off. Looking at the monster, Sakura saw that it resemble a snake-shark hybrid. Its white mask face opened its mouth and let out a triumphant roar.

"I smell shinigami! Where! Where is it?!" It looked around the group that was facing it before looking in Sakura's direction. "There! There it is! Come at me shinigami and I will have a good meal tonight!" Sakura clenched what looked like the air when in reality she was clenching her zanpakutou. Many of the shinobi heard the monster's call and were confused. Shinigami? What the hell was it talking about? The monster cocked its head. "No you won't come out and face me? Are you afraid shinigami? I smell your reiatsu. You cannot hide forever!" It lunged at the shinobi and they scattered. It lifted its head and sniffed again. "No matter shinigami. If you don't come fight me now, there are other tasty morsel's here. Like over there!" He lunged again and a scream was heard.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out. Sakura looked and saw that Hinata's arm was bleeding as she was held against the tree by the hollow. Naruto was throwing kunais trying to attack it, but they just went through him.

"_No! Hinata!_" She thought. She clenched her fists. What was more important? Her friend or soutaichou's orders? Hinata screamed again as the hollow tightened its grip. Her eyes hardened and she steeled her resolve. Why was she even thinking about it? Her friend was more important. "_Gomen, soutaichou,"_ She thought. She stepped towards it, undoing the genjutsu around her zanpakutou as she did. "Oi! Hollow-yarou!" It stopped squeezing Hinata and turned to her. Sakura unsheathed her zanpakutou and crouched into an offensive stance. "You want to fight someone that can fight back?" It roared before unraveling itself from the tree and charging at her. Hinata was let go and she started to fall until Naruto caught her.

"You're safe now Hinata-chan." He said, cradling her body to him.

"Naruto-kun." She whispered. Both soon turned their eyes towards Sakura as she faced the thing.

"Shinigami! You finally show yourself! Let's see if you can defeat me!" It flew at her with amazing speed and Sakura dodged before slashing its tail off. Blood spurted from the wound and the shinobi watched in awe as Sakura fought the monster single-handedly. Sakura watched with sick fascination as the tail grew back in front of her eyes. "Baka Shinigami! I have regeneration abilities so you cannot defeat me!" Sakura smirked.

"Oh, but I can." Sakura leapt at him again and tried to slice through its mask but it moved away and she cut a small part off. She cursed when she saw the mask regenerate the part lost. The hollow let out a loud chuckle.

"Baka Shinigami! Did I not just tell you that I have regeneration abilities? You cannot defeat me!" Sakura growled before responding.

"You think I can't? Just watched me!" She placed both hands onto the handle of her zanpakutou and called out. "Scorch the skies, Shiroi Honou (white flame)!" The shinobi watched as her katana changed into a pair of beautifully, elegant, crafted twin swords that gleamed brightly in the light. Both swords were completely white with white silk covering the engraved handles. One sword had what oddly looked like an ornate mirror that was bordered in white wood hanging from the bottom like a pommel and the other simply had an elaborate white charm dangling as a pommel with white silken strands flowing from a single point on the bottom of the charm. "Kurai! (take this!)" She swung the sword with the charm downward and white, searing hot flames burst towards the hollow from the sword. The shinobi watched in amazement as the flames caught the monster as it tried to run away and was burned completely. The monster roared as it was burned and all that was left was a burnt patch on the grass. They turned to look at Sakura and she was sheathing her katana. She looked at them before smiling sheepishly and shrugging her shoulders.

"Sakura, what was that?" Ino yelled out. Sakura hesitated before Naruto called her over.

"Sakura-chan! Hina-chan needs medical attention!" Sakura hurried over to heal Hinata, thankful for the distraction.

"Sakura, answer the question," Ino said, standing behind Sakura with her hands on her hips. "What was that?" Sakura finished healing Hinata and stood up. She glanced skyward before panicking.

"Oh no! I just remembered! I have to go do something. Sorry. Maybe later guys." She shot off and everyone looked after her in confusion. Really? She really expected them to believe that? The Rookie Nine, Gai's team, the Sand Siblings, Tsunade and their teachers went after Sakura. They found her standing in a different training ground looking at the sky. They surrounded her to make sure she couldn't escape.

"There's something you haven't been telling us Sakura." Tsunade said. Sakura turned and laughed sheepishly.

"What have I not told you?" She asked, nervous on the inside. Most present raised their eyebrows.

"How about the fact that there are weird creatures roaming about and only you seem to be able to defeat them." Kakashi said, eye smile in place.

"That doesn't seem right. Surely you guys have defeated some as well." Sakura asked, hoping they would drop the subject. The rest shook their heads.

"Our weapons seem to go through them," Shino stated. "Yet your katana slices them easily." Sakura scoffed.

"That can't be right. What kind of creature can be seen yet you can't physically touch."

"We thought you could tell us." Tsunade said. Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know." Kakashi placed his hand on his chin in thought.

"Maybe it's the katana, " He held his hand out. "Can I see it?" Sakura hesitated.

"Kakashi-sensei, I don't think you can touch the sword." Kakashi waved his hands.

"Nonsense. Now let's see." Sakura slowly handed the katana over and Kakashi looked at it. When he made to touch it, his hands went through it. They all looked at her bewildered.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled. Sakura giggled nervously.

"Would you look at that?" She said. "That's a cool magic trick Kakashi-sensei." He looked at her critically.

"But I didn't do anything." They all looked at her appraisingly.

"Sakura, what is going on?" Tsunade asked. Sakura looked down at her feet.

"I'm not allowed to tell you." She said sadly.

"Why not?" Tenten asked. Suddenly, shouji doors appeared behind Sakura. They opened and showed a circular set of shouji doors that opened as well. A figure could be seen from the bright light coming from the doors.

"Because sou-taichou ordered her not to tell." The figure said as they stepped out of the doors. The figure turned out to be a male with snow white, spiky hair and teal eyes. He was slightly taller than Sakura and wore a black hakama and haori with a white inner hakama and haori. He also had a white, sleeveless, full length jacket with the kanji for ten on his back. But what they noticed the most was the sword strapped diagonally to his back. They all looked at him suspiciously, though many of the females inwardly swooned at the site of him. Who was this newcomer?

"Shiro-kun!" Sakura exclaimed and latched onto him for a hug. 'Shiro' smirked and brought his arms around his waist to hug her back.

"Hello chibi." He said. She pulled away a little and pouted.

"I am not that much smaller than you!" She said. He chuckled.

"It's what I called you when we were younger and you are still shorter than I am." He saw that she opened her mouth to argue and said. "I know, I know. You're not that much shorter than me. Which is why I can put my chin on you head." He said. She mock glared at him. "What? Would you rather I call you pinky?" She continued to mock glare at him.

"You wouldn't dare." He smirked and opened his mouth. Sakura quickly clamped her hand over his mouth to block the name from exiting his mouth. She looked at his eyes and saw the amused glint he had in them. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. He simply shrugged his shoulders and looked down at her hand before bringing his eyes back up.

"Sakura-chan, what is going on?" They both turned and saw everyone else looking at them. "And who's this?" Naruto said, pointing to 'Shiro'. 'Shiro' removed one of his hands from Sakura's waist to take her hand away from his mouth. He lowered their hands together before answering.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro."

* * *

**Me: There! I finished! YAY!!!!**

**Naruto: Who the hell is Hitsugaya Toushiro?**

**Toushiro: I have been here for how long and you still don't notice me?**

**Naruto: GAH! When did you get there?**

**Tenten: *sweatdrop* Aren't you supposed to be a shinobi? How can you not notice him there?**

**Naruto: GAH! Tenten! Don't do that!**

**Everyone else: *shakes head in disbelief***

**Me: Well that's all for now! R&R Onegaishimasu (Please)!**

**Toushiro: Baka.**

**Naruto: OI!**


	4. An old friend? Part 2?

Me: Heylo! I haven't updated in like forever! And since someone *cough* sakurax9 *cough* got impatient, let's go!

Sakura: Finally! I was wondering when you would freaking update!

Me: Oh you shush. I know you just want more time with Toushiro-kun.

Sakura: *blush*

Naruto: HAHA! Sakura-chan's in love! Wait! She's in love! No! My cute little sister!

Me: *sweatdrops* You have been reading over my shoulder when I read D. Gray-man weren't you?

Naruto: Of course not! Are you trying to compare me to that guy who has a little sister complex and made all those funny inventions? That Komui guy?

Me: HA! You have been! But that's not important. Right now I need you to do something important.

Naruto: Really? Is it rescuing my beloved Sakura from the clutches of the evil men or maybe taking out an army that threatens my dear Hina-chan or –

Me: *claps hand over Naruto's mouth* OI! Stop talking! I just need you to Rasengan that wall.

Naruto: Seriously? Geez just tell me to run 50 laps why don't ya? I could do that in my sleep! *charges up chakra* ! RASENGAN! *wall crumbles*

Me: Yes! Goodbye writer's block! Thanks Naruto! Anyways, I was hoping to add the two top paragraphs to the last chapter to make it longer but alas, I couldn't think of anything to properly finish if I did, so… Go ahead and read! **P.S. My beta hasn't read through it yet so I'm sorry if it has mistakes or anything. Tell me and I'll change it. I'll probably be reuploading it again. Usually I would wait for her to read through but it's close to exams and I wanted to get this out to you guys before that.**

Recap:

"Sakura-chan, what is going on?" They both turned and saw everyone else looking at them. "And who's this?" Naruto said, pointing to 'Shiro'. 'Shiro' removed one of his hands from Sakura's waist to take her hand away from his mouth. He lowered their hands together before answering.

Now:

"Hitsugaya Toushiro, juubantai taichou (tenth captain)." The surrounding shinobi still looked at him mistrustfully. They still knew next to nothing about this guy and apparently, he was a captain of something. This guy also seemed to have a close relationship with Sakura.

"Captain of what, exactly?" Kakashi asked. In his head he was sorting through all the information he had of organizations that could possibly have captains or if he had ever heard of a Hitsugaya Toushiro from any of the village's elite ANBU's. Then again, you rarely hear about someone unless they are in the bingo books. When Toushiro shrugged his shoulders, Kakashi tried a different approach. "What village are you from?" Both Toushiro and Sakura panicked on the inside. What could they say? They obviously couldn't tell them the truth. It wouldn't be believable anyways to them unless they died themselves and Sakura wasn't willing to kill her friends just to prove a point.

"Um….." Sakura uttered. At that point it would have been a good time for her intellect to kick in but at the moment, all that came up was "_What the hell do we do?"_ Sakura could not stop her inner panic but luckily, Toushiro was quick to answer.

"I am from Seireitei." Sakura stared at him in shock but the shinobi all simply looked at him. They couldn't say he was lying because you never knew of the smaller ninja villages until they revealed themselves. It could be an actual hidden village as well since nearly everyone knew where the main 'hidden' ninja villages were. Sakura, however was inwardly freaking out.

"_Why would he tell them that?_" She gazed at him questioningly but he only gave her a look that said 'I know what you're thinking but I'll tell you later.' The shinobi just looked to Tsunade, who nodded.

"We'll buy that," She paused and frowned, "For now." She then turned around and walked back towards the Hokage Tower. Many of the ninjas stayed and contemplated what just happened. Sakura noticed that everyone was distracted and looked towards Toushiro. He nodded and grasped her hand. Both leapt away to a different spot to talk and be undisturbed. This did not go unnoticed by some of the shinobi present but they made no comment. Sakura and Toushiro made sure they reached another clearing well away from the others before stopping. Both were quiet and just let the silence wash over them and neither knew if they should break it. Sakura turned to find him staring at her. She flushed slightly and whatever courage she had mustered up to speak first, left her.

"You know, I never got to say goodbye when you left." He said. Sakura's eyes widened and she watched as his head turned away. "I never even got to tell you …" He trailed off.

"What? You never got to tell me what?" She asked. He waved her off.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She looked at him questioningly before shrugging.

"Okay… So tell me what I've missed while I was gone."

"So it would appear that Sakura was not telling us something. There is no record of her ever coming from a place called Seireitei. Her file and birth certificate both say her birthplace is here." Tsunade muttered, biting her thumb. "Damn it! What in the world is going on?"

"Something bigger than us I would imagine." Asuma said. Many of the shinobi sighed.

"But Sakura is still Sakura right?" Naruto asked. "I mean, it's not known how to de-age yourself without a genjutsu and then make it so that you grew naturally. Right Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai nodded.

"That kind of technique does not exist and even if it did, it would take immense control and a large reserve of chakra. So no one has been able to create it yet" She looked at Tsunade. "Though Tsunade-sama has been able to create a concealment genjustu to cover her own age, it is still not the same as what you are suggesting Sakura is using." Tsunade half heartedly glared at Kurenai for mentioning that she was old but could only sigh.

"Well, then we can only hope that Sakura will tell us eventually." She said.

Sakura stared at Toushiro in amazement before sneezing.

"Sorry." She said and blushed. "The others must be talking about me." He nodded.

"It's only natural that they would. You just revealed something that they have no idea about and it confused them. They are probably trying to come up with a logical solution right now." Sakura nodded.

"You're most likely right. But back on topic." She gazed at him seriously. "So all of that really happened while I was gone?" He nodded. "Man! I always seem to miss out on all the good parts!" She pouted. He chuckled before sobering.

"Well don't worry. I don't think you'll miss it this time. This time, you're right in the middle of all of this." She sighed.

"I am aren't I?" The she looked at him questioningly. "So tell me, why did you tell them you were from Sereitei?" He shrugged.

"There is no actual record of it here and in case we do need assistance, we would not have actually lied to them and cause them to mistrust us." Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Soutaichou would willingly seek help from non-shinigami?" Toushiro shrugged again.

"Soutaichou is first and foremost that, a general. If combating Aizen in the future requires allies that are non-shinigami then he will. Besides, he only tries to do what is best for Soul Society." Sakura nodded then smiled.

"So a small group of ryoka was really able to beat out a majority of the Gotei 13 and rescue Rukia from the very middle? And one of them stopped Soukyoku?" Toushiro's mouth tightened but he nodded.

"For the most part yes but it was mostly the juuichibantai that was defeated, though it was still humiliating to experience." Sakura laughed.

"Zaraki-taichou must have been pissed!" Toushiro smirked and nodded.

"He beat up the entire division for being weak. Unohana-taichou's division was full for a while. And then they kept coming back. Zaraki said that unless they lasted two minutes against him he would keep 'beating the weaklings into shape'." Sakura laughed.

"The poor division! But maybe this will knock them down a couple notches. They've always been too arrogant for their own good." She said and plopped down onto the grass. Toushiro shrugged as he sat down beside her.

"You never know. It may boost their confidence in their abilities." Sakura laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Heaven forbid that they are too weak to carry the burden of being in juuichibantai." Toushiro smirked. "So how long are you going to be here?" She asked him quietly.

"I'm not leaving anytime soon." He said softly, and then slightly smiled. "Besides, who was the one who left who before?" She playfully pushed him.

"Shut up." She sobered. "So do I still have to hide from the others?" He shrugged.

"Most likely for now. Soutaichou didn't give any specific orders but I would rather not take the chance. And the longer that it's hidden that you are a shinigami, the better." Sakura's face scrunched up in thought.

"But Aizen already knows that I'm here. He sent an arrancar to get me and there was that Hollow that the others saw me defeat." Toushiro nodded.

"We know. We had gotten the alert before I headed out but Soutaichou didn't give any orders pertaining to that. And on that note, where's your apartment? I have to set up the communication system to soul society. You do have a big place right?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"While I know that the communication module is huge, why would my place have to be big? Are there more shinigami coming here?" Toushiro nodded.

"Ah. Soutachiou said he would be sending reinforcements after I contacted him." He got up and dusted himself off. "So we should head back now." He held out his hand for her to take. She grasped his hand and let herself be pulled up.

"Let's go."

Aizen sat contently on his throne. Everything was going according to plan. Soon Ulquiorra would return with the King's daughter. Then he would have leverage to use against the current King (if he even was there anymore). All that was left now is to find the key. He let out a sinister laugh and it echoed through out the palace.

In the twelfth division of Soul Society, the techies were tense.

"A large mass of Hollows are starting to amass in the elemental countries!" One cried out.

"Arranacar! No way! Two Arrancar are appearing as well!" Another yelled.

"Someone tell soutaichou quick!"

Ichigo Kurosaki was bored. That was the only way to describe how he was feeling. Nothing was happening. After the whole rescue Orihime issue, it went quiet. Not that he wanted anything bad to happen. He just wanted _something_. Just then, his cell phone ringed.

"Ichigo." He heard when he picked up.

"Rukia?"

"Orders just came in. A massive amount of Hollows are appearing." Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Rukia's voice turned grim.

"It get's worse. Two Arrancars have been detected as well." Ichigo's eyes widened before hardening.

"Are we being called in?"

"Ah."

"Then, we better move it, eh?"

"Ah."

Sakura laughed as she looked at the communication device.

"After all this time, it still looks funny. You would think that they would learn to make it look normal like a T.V.?" He shrugged.

"It's not my business what the research department does." He said, tinkering behind the large screen. "Is a clear image coming?" The fuzz on the TV kept moving but an image was forming.

"Not yet… There! Hello Soutaichou." She smiled. Toushiro came from behind and faced the screen as well.

"While it is nice to see you again Sakura, however, there are more pressing news to attend to." He had what seemed like his happy expression but that changed as he spoke. "A large concentration of Hollows are centering on your position with two Arrancars as well. I have sent reinforcements but I don't know if they'll reach you in time." Sakura and Toushiro froze.

"How large a force?" Toushiro asked. Genryuusai shook his head.

"We don't have definite numbers. But the real problem is the appearance of those

Arrancar. Why would two Arrancar appear, and in the elemental countries at that?" Sakura stiffened. Toushiro glanced over when he felt her stiffen.

"Something wrong Sakura?"

"Aizen." She whispered.

Me: And there you have it. I'm sorry it takes so long guys but I keep running into writer's block. My teacher says it's a good thing but sometimes I wonder.

Naruto: Oh yeah? I'll just Rasengan it again next time!

Me: We'll see. I don't want you to hit an actual wall that I need. Like my room wall.

Naruto: That was an accident!

Me: -u But that never happened. Wait…. What did you do?

Naruto: Uhhhhh…. I plead the fifth?

Me: Not American!

Naruto: Umm. Umm. Gotta go! *runs off*

Me: Naruto! Get back here! What did you do! *runs after him*

Tenten: *pops up* Please read and review! *smiles* or else!

Naruto: Wahhh! Where did you come from!


	5. New Addition to the Party!

Hollow Past

Naruto: You're finally back! Do I need to Rasengan another wall for you?

Me: After what happened last time, nope.

Naruto: Awww. Why not? It was fun!

Me: One, cause you got Rasengan happy and I had to replace a fricken wall for my room. Not cool dude. Two, because Sakura charged in after class, dragged me home, sat me in front of the computer and smashed the wall labeled 'Writer's Block'. I now have pieces of brick to clean up before my mom gets home.

Naruto: Hahahaha! Sakura-chan was that impatient?

Me: I think Toushiro is too.

Naruto: Why?

Me: Because he was following behind, scaring anyone that tried to stop her.

Sakurax9: That's my nii-chan!

Naruto: Ummmmmm….. Who are you?

Sakurax9: I'm Toushiro's little sister.

Toushiro: Since when?

Me: Now.

Naruto: Wait. What? You can't just go and—

Me: And here we go for another chapter of Hollow Past! (Note: Readers, that was not really Sakurax9 but an actress hired to stand in for her.)

Naruto: What the hell is going on!

Last Time:

_"We don't have definite numbers. But the real problem is the appearance of those_

_Arrancar. Why would two Arrancar appear, and in the elemental countries at that?" Sakura stiffened. Toushiro glanced over when he felt her stiffen._

_"Something wrong Sakura?"_

_"Aizen." She whispered._

Now:

Toushiro watched her as she continued to stay in her trance. He slowly reached out and encircled her in his arms.

"Sakura?" He asked. On the screen, Genryuusai's face hardened.

"So he knows. Hitsugaya-taichou," Toushiro straightened as best he could.

"Hai."

"When the reinforcements arrive, tell them that they are to be stationed there until further notice."

"Understood." Toushiro said.

"Hitusgaya-taichou, Aizen must not succeed. The time for the winter battle is approaching and we must not let Aizen gain the upper hand." Toushiro nodded.

"Of course Soutaichou."

Outside of the main gate was nothing. Kamizuki Izumo was freaking bored out of his mind! There was nothing. Nothing! A mouse, a monkey, hell even a stupid rogue Nin trying to sneak in would be something better than just sitting on his ass. His partner, Hagane Kotetsu wasn't fairing any better. He had his feet propped up against the counter and just seemed to be counting clouds while slurping on syrup.

"Is there anything else we can do here other than watch the dust move?" Kotetsu sat up.

"We could pay attention to the fact that people are coming this way." Izumo, lifted his gaze from the road and looked up as a group of people moved towards them. All were cloaked with the hoods covering their faces. But the way they walked. The taller ones walked with power and moved with a confidence that would make a seasoned ANBU worry. The shorter ones looked as of they were gliding with grace yet their aura showed they were not to be messed with.

"_Who are these people?"_ Kotetsu wondered. He could feel that they were strong. But why were they coming to Konoha? What could they possibly be doing here? Both men watched as the group came to a stop in front of them.

"We are here to see Haruno Sakura and Hitsugaya-taichou." A female voice flowed from one of the short hooded ones. Both men were surprised but nodded. They received nods in return and simply watched as the group moved away.

"I think we broke them." One of the tall hooded ones commented. Another tall hood snorted.

"Yeah right Ichigo. More like they were scared by our awesomeness." The first short hooded one scoffed.

"Stop posturing Renji and get a move on. Hitsugaya-taichou is probably expecting us to have arrived already." Renji hmphed and started walking faster.

"Kuchiki-san, I think you hurt his feelings." The other short hooded one said.

"No Inoue. I just made sure his big head didn't get any bigger." Rukia smiled. Inoue giggled.

"I heard that Rukia! My head is not that big!" Renji yelled back. Ichigo laughed.

"You sure Renji? Weren't you the one talking about awesomeness earlier?" Renji glared.

"Sure, sure. Pick on the red head. I was talking about all of us!" Another of the hooded ones sighed.

"Alright, enough. We are making enough of a commotion. People are looking at us." He paused and walked quicker. "Makes me wonder why I'm walking with you people." Ichigo laughed.

"Awwww. Lighten up Ishida. No one said we couldn't have fun while we're here. Don't be the wet blanket." Ishida scoffed. Rukia interrupted before anything could happen.

"Enough. We're here already." And they had. They had stopped in front of an apartment building that looked pleasant enough. "We have to go to the 10th floor." Ichigo snorted.

"That is such a funny coincidence." Renji laughed and Rukia looked at him.

"Why?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"We're going to meet the tenth captain on the tenth floor. I would laugh if the room number had a ten in it as well."

"I happened to get the number tens by chance Kurosaki-san." They all turned to see Sakura standing there with Toushiro beside her. She smiled. "We were wondering when you'd get here." Rukia nodded.

"Soutaichou had told us of the imminent attack so we hurried here." Both Sakura and Toushiro nodded. Sakura glanced around and sighed.

"You may as well come up but we may have to wait to start the briefing. If I am correct, then I will be called to the Hokage's office shortly." The new arrivals looked puzzled.

"Why would you be called?" Sakura was still glancing around as she explained.

"This is a ninja village. As such, they are on the lookout for any threats to it. While we may deal in reiatsu, they deal with chakra. Reiatsu is a part of chakra and since you all have such a large amount, they will feel it. You also must have mentioned coming to see me when you came through the gates or else you would have needed papers to get in. The gate guards will have told the Hokage as protocol plus the patrols will have told her if you were actually coming to see me or not. Then I will have to see her to tell her if you are a threat or not." Ichigo whistled.

"Man, that sounds pretty rough. I don't think even Seireitei is that strict. But I guess it's the same everywhere." Sakura nodded.

"When you have potential enemies that can use similar techniques, are trying to harm your village and can look just like you, you'd probably do the same. Suddenly, Neji and Shikamaru stood in front of them.

"Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama wishes to see you." Neji said. She nodded again.

"Alright. Are you supposed to take me there?" They both nod. "Right. I guess I'll see you guys later." She smiled and leapt off with the two following her. They watched her disappear before turning and going upstairs.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, staring at the expanse before her. She had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. She had won the lottery yesterday. The sum had been undetermined which worried her more. If she knew how big she had won, that usually told her how bad the trouble was going to be. But the fact that there was no listed amount scared her slightly. Konoha had survived a lot but just how much more could they take? She hoped they would. Konoha had already stood for five generations with a powerful sixth one well on its way. A knock sounded, bringing Tsunade from her reverie.

"Come in." She called. Sakura walked inside and bowed before standing in front of her desk.

"You called shishou?" Tsunade nodded.

"Yes I did. Sakura, I received word that you have visitors." Sakura nodded. "Now normally Sakura, this would not warrant a visit to my office but given recent events and your involvement…" Sakura smiled.

"I understand shishou. You wonder if these visitors are going to be a danger to the village and if they are, are they threatening me to go along with them." Tsunade laughed.

"You always were quick as a whip Sakura." Sakura laughed too.

"Well I was taught by the best. But to answer your question, no they aren't. They are some friends of mine that have come to visit for a while." Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"You're sure Sakura." She nodded.

"Quite sure. They wouldn't harm anyone unless they had too." Tsunade contemplated before nodding.

"Fine. But if they become a problem, you are going to be responsible for it. Clear?"

"Crystal."

Bored. That was one word to explain how they felt. Since they had to wait for Haruno-san to return before starting anything, they had nothing to really do. It was like being back home all over again. So at the moment, they (except Toushiro) were sitting in front of the TV munching on snacks.

"Sakura gets way better cable than we do." Ichigo said. "Why is that?" They all just shrugged. They all turned when they heard knocking on the door.

"Should we get it?" Orihime asked. Uryuu fixed his glasses.

"Good manners dictate we shouldn't since it isn't our house," The knocking still continued. "However, this person is very persistent….."

"Maybe if we wait it out they'll just leave and try next time?" Orihime suggested. The others nodded. But the knocking persisted. This time accompanied by a voice.

"OOOOOIIIIIII! SAKURA-CHAN, ARE YOU IN THERE? IF YOU'RE SLEEPING, GET UP! THE OTHERS WANT TO HANG OUT! LET'S GO!" Ichigo sighed.

" He's just going to keep going until he gets some kind of an answer. Trust me. I know."

"Then why don't you go handle him since you're so experienced." Renji said. Ichigo groaned but got up. He reached the door and opened it just as the blonde guy outside opened his mouth again. He quickly shut his mouth and looked at  
Ichigo in confusion.

"Who are you and why are you in Sakura-chan's apartment?" Ichigo took one look at him before speaking.

"She's not here. I think she's with your leader." He made to close the door but the blonde guy stopped him.

"You still didn't answer my question. Who are you and what are you doing here." Ichigo leaned on the doorway.

"First of all, that's two questions. Second, I don't know if I'm allowed to disclose that information." The blonde guy looked frustrated and made to open his mouth again when he was interrupted.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Both looked down the hall to see Sakura coming towards them with groceries.

"Sakura-chan! Why are people in your apartment?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Cause they are old friends visiting me and I'm giving them a place to stay?" Ichigo smiled.

"Good thing your back Sakura, I think we were starting to mindlessly finish all your snacks." She laughed.

"Then wasn't I smart to go get more food? Here. Take these inside please?" She handed Ichigo the bag. He nodded and walked inside. "Now Naruto, what are you doing here? I thought you would be training or working up the courage to ask Hinata out?" He blushed.

"I'm getting there! But all of us were going to hang out at the training grounds and I came to get you." Sakura shook her head.

"Sorry Naruto. I can't go right now." He nodded and smiled.

"That's okay Sakura-chan! You have to keep your friends company and catch up. Maybe we can meet them later?" She shrugged.

"We'll see."

Racing through the country, monsters were approaching Konoha. Ulquiorra was standing right outside of Konoha in the tall trees, waiting for the Hollows to reach him. One seemingly large humanoid person leapt up beside him.

"You don't seem all that excited Ulquiorra. We get free reign to destroy and devour along with having to capture the girl." Ulquiorra just looked at him and looked back.

"I do not see the joy in destroying worthless trash unless destroying it is necessary, Yami." Yami huffed.

"You don't know what you're missing." A roar sounded in the distance and both looked into the direction it came from. "Finally." Yami grumbled. "Is there a reason you had them travel from such a far distance instead of just letting them come here? It would have been much faster this way." Ulquiorra looked at him before looking back at the village.

"It is part of the plan. Haruno-san should know we are coming by now and may have reinforcements. However, this is also part of the plan. Humans and shinigamis have attachments. It makes them vulnerable. We will exploit those attachments to make her come with us." Yami laughed.

"Then let's begin!" Both Sonido'ed off, but unknown to them, a shouji door appeared behind where they stood. A figure slipped out and a smile could be seen under the cloak they wore.

"Won't Nii-chan be surprised." They whispered and shunpo'ed away.

Sakura's kitchen table was currently being cluttered with a map of Konoha and the current inhabitants of the apartment were gathered around it.

"We can only guess that the large force of Hollows are coming to attack Konoha so we have to cover all the areas we can." Toushiro said. "Luckily, we can span out enough to be able to cover the main areas they would attack." Sakura sighed.

"If we had more time to prepare, we could have helped some of the shinobi to learn how to at least be able to defend themselves against the low level Hollows." She placed a hand on her forehead. "But then that would bring up questions we aren't allowed to answer." Toushiro placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We can worry about that later. Right now, we have to prepare for an imminent attack."

"It might be more imminent than you think Nii-chan." A new face had popped up at the table in between Renji and Ichigo. Both slightly jumped since they hadn't seen them there. A girl as tall as Sakura stood there. Her off-white hair stood out between the red and orange. Toushiro's eyes narrowed.

"Hitsugaya Aoi." Aoi looked down at Toushiro's glare. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back in Soul Society." Aoi looked up and pouted.

"But Nii-chan, I have a report on the enemies' movements."

"Regardless of the fact that you are not supposed to be here?" Aoi smiled.

"I wouldn't say that nii-chan. I have been officially ordered by Soutaichou to join this mission. Soutaichou figured that an operative of the second division would be useful." Toushiro raised an eyebrow.

"Then why wouldn't I have received any orders from Soutaichou regarding you joining the mission?" Aoi shrugged.

"I received orders and I'm following them." She paused. "Though," She giggled. "I do have a letter." She reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out said letter. "I think Soutaichou told me to give it to you." Toushiro sighed as he took it.

"You were probably watching the jigokuchou fluttering around again. Did you even pay attention to what he was saying?" Aoi nodded.

"Of course I was! That would be rude not to." As Toushiro perused the letter, she looked around the room. "Wah! Sakura-chan! It's been so long! How you doing?" But before Sakura could answer Aoi was already talking to another person.

"Renji! You owe me over 3355 yen! (A/N: I did the conversion and it's roughly $40 in CAD) Renji held up his hands in surrender and backed away slowly.

"Really? You remember that?" Aoi leveled him with a deadpan stare.

"You don't have it do you?" Renji sweatdropped and shook his head. Aoi smiled a blindingly bright smile.

"Okay! You just pay me back later then!" Then hopped over to Rukia. Renji sighed in relief and Ichigo laughed.

"Wow Renji. You are _some_ tough guy." Renji scowled at him.

"Oi you shut up. You haven't seen her angry and believe me. Not pretty. Whatsoever." Aoi skipped up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Renji," Her gripped tightened. "You are spreading rumors about me aren't you? Don't you know that's mean?" Renji covertly tried to move away from her grip while he scoffed.

"What rumors? They aren't rumors, especially when you are the one on the receiving end." He mumbled the last sentence. You just don't want your little crush to know that don't you?" Aoi quickly covered his mouth and laughed.

"Renji! Making things up again! When are you going to stop? It's not a good thing to do!" She glanced nervously at her brother before proceeding to reprimand Renji more.

Toushiro had finished reading the letter and glanced over at his sister. She was talking to Kurosaki and Abarai about something before an embarrassed flush came over her face. His eyes narrowed. Why was she nearly choking Abarai and why did she look nervously at him? His gaze narrowed. That meant she didn't want him to find something out. What was she hiding from him? He was interrupted from his inner monologue as Sakura giggled beside him.

"Well it's good to know your sister hasn't changed. Always was able to lighten the atmosphere." Toushiro shrugged but smiled a little at Sakura's face.

"I always thought it was you." He mumbled. She glanced at him.

"Did you say something Shiro-kun?" She asked. He shook his head and looked away, a miniscule blush on his cheeks. She shrugged her shoulders and Toushiro straightened himself.

"If we could get back to the matter at hand, we need to be able to properly react when this attack comes." He stated. The antics stopped and they settled around the table. Toushiro glanced around before centering his gaze on his sister. "Now what did you mean that the attack is imminent?" Aoi straightened her back and clasped her arms behind her back, adopting an at ease position.

"They are 2 days away, with a large army led by two Arrancars. They each identified each other as Ulquiorra and Yami." Toushiro noticed how Sakura stiffened at the names and wondered if one of the two Arrancars were who had come earlier. "Ulquiorra seems to be very proficient in psychology and is using this attack as a part of a plot to bring Sakura-chan with him." Toushiro's fist clenched at this. "So far, only the two Arrancars are close with the Hollow army slowly approaching from afar. So we do have enough time to prepare." Toushiro frowned slightly and placed his hand on his chin.

"But you just said that this Arrancar, Ulquiorra, knows quite a lot about psychology. This could all be some elaborate plan to spread us thin then swoop in." Aoi shook her head.

"He mentioned leverage. He is going to use us and Konoha as leverage. He seems to know the Sakura cares for us and Konoha and doesn't want us be harmed." She then smiled. "Same, old Sakura-chan." Sakura blushed.

"Then how are we going to combat this?" Rukia asked. "We can't simply cut and slash if that's the case. We need some sort of plan." They all nodded. Toushiro, who's expression was pensive, spoke.

"It seems that we may have to explore the possibility of the use of this chakra of the shinobi here as a viable weapon against the Hollows sooner than we thought."

Me: DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN! XD Sorry dears, that's all for now. And I would appreciate feedback on Hitsuguya Aoi because obviously she's an OC and I'm curious about what people think.

Sakura: O.O I think this is the longest chapter she's ever written.

Toushiro: *smirks* good. That means she likes us the best.

Naruto: Hahahahahaha! Sasuke's going to be so jealous!

Sasuke: I've gotten farther. *smirks*

Toushiro: But she likes me better. *smirks*

Sasuke: But she has more stuff with me on it.

Toushiro: That's because she liked Naruto before she found Bleach and found a lot of stuff with Naruto characters on it. I'm on her cellphone. She carries me with her.

Me: *blushes* Okay, let's stop the manly pride thing before everyone finds out about my stuff and ….. well stuff. So thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time! *waves* Bye bye!

Everyone else: Bye!


	6. Plan the plan

Hollow Past

Me: I know I know. I am a terrible author and have left many of you hanging with no end when I personally don't like when authors do that myself. So I will try to be better and ignore life so I can write more okay? XD Nah i just had a huge case of writers block and I think I should have written down how I want this story to go cause my muse just went... somewhere and then I had college to contend with and then my grandfather passed. And just...blah. Life is throwing me curveballs. :P Dunno if i appreciate the challenge or not. Anyways, enough rambling! To the story!

Naruto: CHARGE!

Before:

"Then how are we going to combat this?" Rukia asked. "We can't simply cut and slash if that's the case. We need some sort of plan." They all nodded. Toushiro, whose expression was pensive, spoke.

"It seems that we may have to explore the possibility of the use of this chakra of the shinobi here as a viable weapon against the Hollows sooner than we thought."

Now:

Uryuu's brow furrowed.

"Chakra?"

Sakura nodded.

"It's like their reiatsu in this realm. However, there are differences. Anyone can gain chakra since everyone has the potential to hone it. It's simply a matter of enlarging the chakra coils in one's body before a certain age and you can still train to make them grow larger as you grow older. Chakra consists of half physical energy and the other half is spiritual. So based on that knowledge, the shinobi here may be able to combat Hollows but not on the same scale as us. After all, their power would be just half of what ours is."

Toushiro nodded.

"Correct. Soutaichou explained the theory to me but only stated if I see a need of their aid to involve them. It would not do to endanger the fragile balance we keep just to win."

Uryuu nodded.

"Though it would give us a tactical advantage. The Arrancar do not know our numbers fully and will not expect the shinobi living here to fight successfully or at least effectively against them. It would give us the element of surprise and if we can plan accurately and act accordingly, we could hold them off until they are defeated or reinforcements arrive." He leaned down on the table to peer over the map.

"But is this really a situation that we need their help in?" Sakura said hesitantly. Rukia sensed Sakura's hesitation and moved over to Sakura, touching her shoulder.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Sakura just looked away and shrugged.

"She's worried for them." Sakura's eyes shot to Toushiro who stood by the hallway entrance. His head jerked to the side in the universal 'follow me' movement and he started walking further in. Sakura sighed and smiled apologetically at Rukia before following after. She found Toushiro standing in her room, in front of her dresser, looking at the pictures cluttering it. She simply stared at him until he broke the silence.

"You care about them." Sakura stepped up beside him and saw the picture he was looking at. It was a group shot of her friends and teachers having a picnic at the training grounds. Everyone was smiling or laughing in the picture (though with Kakashi, you could never tell) and Naruto and the rest of the boys were goofing off as usual. Except for Neji, who was sitting against the tree warding off Lee's attempts to spar with him. Sakura smiled at the memory and giggled. Toushiro let a tiny smile cross his face at the sweet sound. "Well I guess that answers the question." He said, ignoring the small twinge in his chest. She had used to laugh only with him but now she had others to make her smile. Sakura noticed his smile and smiled even wider.

"It's been a while since I've seen you smile Shiro-kun. I'm glad you still do." Toushiro's cheeks flushed red and he turned his head away as Sakura laughed. "Awwww. Shiro-kun's embarrassed!" Toushiro mock glared at her then brushed his hand on her side. She stopped laughing and squealed while Toushiro smirked.

"Still extremely ticklish are we?" He moved slowly towards her and Sakura shook her head frantically while she moved to the other side of the room, glancing around for something solid to put between them. Her bed wouldn't work. It was shoved on the corner, the dresser was right at the foot of it, her desk sat in the corner across from the bed and just about everything else was in a closet. Why did she have to decide that it was better to have such a Spartan style room? Oh yeah. Shinobi. Damn it! Toushiro saw her glancing around and laughed. "Trying to find a way out Sa-ku-ra? Don't you remember?" He flashed so quickly that she whirled her head around to see where he was but couldn't spot him. She cursed the fact that he was better at shunpo then she was. "You could never get away quick enough." His breath blew past her ear and she shivered. Crap! He got behind her! She squeaked and jerked forward but he caught her round her waist. He lifted her over his shoulder despite her protests and plopped her onto the bed. Before she could get up to exact revenge, he pinned her arms above her head and started moving nimble fingers up and down her sides.

"Ahahahahahahaha! S-St-op!" She tried to say through her laughter. She tried to wriggle her way out but he held fast. " Puh-Please?" She whimpered, attempting to do puppy dog eyes. Toushiro just smirked and continued tickling her.

"Those won't work on me now. You're laughing too much for it to have any effect." Sakura mentally pouted at that fact since she was laughing too much.

"Not fair!" She choked out. Toushiro took his hand away from her side and leaned forward slightly.

"Had enough then?" Sakura pouted.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" He laughed.

"Well it is hard to understand someone when they're laughing." Sakura giggled with him until they couldn't laugh anymore. Toushiro fell onto the bed next to her and a comfortable silence stretched between them until Toushiro's face turned serious. "Sakura," He said. She turned her head to the side and saw him staring at her face intently.

"Hai Shiro-kun?" She asked, slightly confused. Toushiro propped himself on his elbow to face her better and sighed.

"I was correct when I said you were worried about them, wasn't I?" Sakura nodded and smiled.

"It's what happens when you grow up with people remember? You get attached." She laughed and poked his shoulder. He fell the opposite way she poked him and she shrieked. "Toushiro! You are not funny! Get off!" She could feel him shaking slightly on top of her and knew he was laughing at her.

"You are the one who poked me with the intention of making me fall over. Therefore, you must deal with the consequences." Came the muffled reply. Sakura pouted. "You know Sakura, you don't have to be embarrassed. Kurosaki is probably in the same situation as you." Sakura sighed.

"I know. It's just if we involve them…." Toushiro moved over to the side and hugged her frame to his securely.

"You don't think they will see you as the same Sakura as they did before." She nodded and huddled closer to him.

"I know. It's stupid. I shouldn't be thinking like that but part of me can't help but think…."

"What if nothing's the same, what if they treat me different and just about every other what if your mind can think of is running through it." She nodded. "I cannot speak for your friends as I do not know them but I do know that anyone who throws away your friendship is a fool. Besides Sakura, since when did you let your fears rule you?" She glared up at him with her lip jutting out.

"I'll have you know that fear is not ruling me. I'm just worried." Toushiro raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that the same thing?" She stuck out her tongue.

"No it's not." Toushiro smirked.

"Says who?"

"Says me." Sakura said as she smiled impishly. Toushiro rolled his eyes.

"And what makes your say so important?" He said as he arched one of his snow white brows.

"Because I'm Sakura." She said.

"Really, I thought it was because you would hit anyone that disagrees with you." He smirked and brought up his arm to deflect the pillow Sakura attempted to hit him with. "So it's going to be like that huh? Well then," He lifted his own pillow above his head and rolled away. "En garde my dear."

The other occupants of the apartment watched as Toushiro led Sakura away. Ichigo waited until he heard a door close before asking the question on his mind.

"So... What's the deal with Sakura and Toushiro?" Renji and Rukia just shrugged, Uryuu looked indifferent but Orihime was smiling while Aoi giggled. Ichigo raised one of his eyebrows. "Something you're not telling us?" Aoi's eyes glittered mischievously.

"Whatever are you talking about?" She said as she tilted her head to the side. Ichigo turned to face the opposite direction to hide the fact that his face felt warm. The others couldn't know he may be getting sick.

"Obviously bout the fact that you two are smiling and actually seem to know what's up."

Orihime's face took on a confused look.

"Eh? Really Kurosaki-kun? But I thought it was obvious?"

Aoi smiled and shook her head. She raised her arms in exasperation and sighed.

"I guess you have to be a girl to see it. Che. Guys can be dense." Now Renji's face looked confused.

"But Rukia can't see whatever you two are seeing. So then does that mean that Rukia—" Renji suddenly pitched forward and landed on the ground face first, limbs twitching. Rukia stood behind him with her fist in the air and an angry look on her face complete with a flush on her cheeks.

"What are you trying to imply aho (asshole)?! That I'm not feminine enough? Or that I'm not a girl!" She 'accidentally' stomped on his back on her way out, furiously mumbling what sounded like nasty expletives along the way. Aoi and Ichigo snickered quietly. Orihime kneeled down beside him and tentatively poked at him.

"Ano, is Abarai-kun okay?" The image was just too funny and Ichigo outright laughed while Uryuu slapped his hand over his mouth to muffle his amusement. Orihime just looked on confused. "Eh? Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, I don't get the joke." The laughter only roared louder after that.

Sakura lay on her bed, panting from exertion while Toushiro sat at the edge smirking triumphantly at Sakura's prone form.

"That's just *pant* just *pant* just... unfair!" Sakura groaned and threw her 'weapon' at him. Toushiro just continued smirking as he ducked the haphazardly thrown pillow tossed in his direction.

"I don't see anything unfair about it. I won fair and square."

Sakura pouted.

"It is unfair!"

Toushiro raised a single eyebrow in amused disbelief.

"And how did you reach that conclusion?"

Sakura smirked.

"Didn't you hear me before? Cause I'm Sakura."

Toushiro snorted.

"So it's that female logic thing that men shall never understand?"

Sakura snorted.

"You only call it that because you don't understand the sophistication of our superior logic." A sly smile flowed onto her face. Toushiro snorted.

"Right…" He said, sarcasm obviously present. Sakura pouted and was about to retort when there was a knock on the door.

"Whatever you two are doing in there, please stop. There are immature minds present and we have to finish discussing our plan of action." Aoi called teasingly. Both occupants on the bed blushed while hearing indignant shouts outside and untangled themselves. When they emerged the girls in the room smiled knowingly while the guys looked on confused. Toushiro raised an elegant eyebrow in question but Ichigo just shrugged and Renji had the same puzzled look on his face.

"Don't look at me. They have been doing that since Aoi came back." Ichigo said, raising his hands in supplication. Toushiro rolled his eyes and assumed they were being childish before glancing at Sakura.

"Seeing as how you are the resident shinobi expert, how are we going to go about this?"

"Well obviously we can't just go: hey guess what? We are shinigami from another realm here to help with a hollow problem you shouldn't have and the more powerful Arrancar that have a nefarious purpose here. And bonus, you can help a little too!" The others snorted or giggled while Toushiro raised an eyebrow at Sakura. She shrugged. "I'm just exploring some of the options." Toushiro continued to look at her, brow raised. Sakura pouted. "Well excuse me for trying to lighten things up a bit." When Toushiro still said nothing, she pouted. "Oh fine. I'll behave." He finally took his eyes away from her, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned.

"While it may have been sarcasm, she does have a point. From what we have seen already, shinobi are highly suspicious and will not trust us. Even if Sakura made up a story, they may still be paranoid. We will have to be upfront with some of them." Rukia stated. Sakura nodded.

"As long as Tsunade-shishou is behind us then they can't question us."

Ichigo scratched his head.

"But I thought this was a democratic place."

Sakura shook her head.

"It's not. It's a dictatorship. Tsunade-shishou is our Hokage which makes her the head of the village. She has final say, the ultimate authority. It may look like a democracy but that's only with the council for the civilians. And even then, they answer to Tsunade-shishou. The only one that has any real authority over her is the daimyo. But they don't interfere unless it is a matter of great importance."

"So we just have to approach Tsunade then?" Rukia asked. Toushiro shook his head.

"Not if our intent is to gain back up for battle. Sakura is going to have to tell her friends something." Sakura turned her head in shock.

"Why do you automatically assume my friends will be the ones she chooses to fight with us?"

"She obviously trusts them the most out of her shinobi. Therefore, it's likely that they are the ones she will choose to explain the situation to fully, and have them train with us in order to help."

Renji stood, straightened himself and stretched his arms above his head.

"So does that mean we go to this Tsunade now? Or do we wait?"

Rukia shook her head.

"Why would we wait? We need as much time as possible to train them with reiatsu. Even we went to the academy to learn."

Ichigo jumped up.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Sakura shook her head.

"Hold up there cowboy. We can't exactly go right now. Shishou is a busy woman. We can't just go barging in. We need an appointment or at least permission to see her."

Ichigo flopped back onto the couch with a groan.

"Does this mean we have to wait here?"

Rukia smirked.

"Getting a little stir crazy Ichigo?"

Ichigo just lifted a pillow and plopped it onto his face, groaning again. Orihime, who had been quiet for a while, spoke up.

"We could go exploring while Haruno-san is speaking with the Hokage lady Kurosaki-kun." She offered. Aoi jumped up.

"Ooooo! I'm in!" She said excitedly. Ichigo got up and nodded.

"Ah. It sounds better than just sitting here."

Sakura shrugged.

"Sure but one or two of you should come with me to help explain to Shishou…"

Toushiro nodded. Ishida pushed up his glasses in thought.

"It would be beneficial to us if we knew the area better, that way we could plan accordingly. So I suppose I'll go with Kurosaki's group."

Renji shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess I'll go too. No offense Hitsugaya-taichou but diplomacy isn't really my strong set."

Rukia snorted.

"There's an understatement." She mumbled. Renji turned to give her the stink eye.

"Did you say something?" He asked suspiciously. Rukia hid her smirk of mirth.

"No. Are you imagining things Renji? That's a sign of insanity you know."

Renji frowned.

"I'm sure I heard you say something."

Rukia shook her head.

"Absolutely not. So barring that option, you are hearing voices in your leads me to the conclusion that you are insane."

Ichigo snorted behind his hand while Aoi just laughed outright.

"Do-Do-haha-Do we need to call the men in white R-Renji?" Aoi asked before dissolving into laughter again.

Renji scowled.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go."

As the group moved through the entrance, Sakura heard Ichigo say.

"We should probably look for the hospital first." The resulting laughter carried up the stairs as they left. Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"At least they can still have fun even with the impending fight." She said, tilting her head to the side.

Toushiro nodded then held his hand out in invitation.

"Shall we go Sakura?" Sakura nodded and they exited her flat. After locking the door, she linked arms with Toushiro and they proceeded towards the Hokage building.

"Well at least Shishou will get the answers she was looking for earlier."

Meanwhile:

Tsunade sat behind her desk thinking. A lot of strange events had been happening lately and they all seemed to center around her young apprentice. Sakura had not been very forth coming about anything she may know but Tsunade was a seasoned shinobi. She knew Sakura was withholding information from her. What bothered Tsunade was for what reason and why? Finally acknowledging her gut which had been feeling off all morning, she reached for the day's lottery ticket and checked her numbers. She froze as the numbers started to match perfectly. She had won the lottery. She rushed to check the size of the pot and tensed. 5 million ryo. She had won 5 million ryo. She cursed and bit her thumb.

"_What in the world is going on?" _

Me: And I finished this chapter! YAY!

Toushiro: Finally.

Me: Oi! I finished didn't I?

Toushiro: Yes but you still have to go to classes. College started again.

Me: Ah :P Don't remind me. Bleh.

Sakura: Don't worry Panda-chan, you can do it!

Me: Thank you Sakura. *hugs* :P… Right, now that that's out of my system….. maybe XD Cause I got Magic Dance stuck in my head. XD So darn catchy! And it's been there for over a week! A week I tell you! Anyways, till next time!

Everyone: Bye bye!

Me: Oh wait! Thank you to SakuraPheonix13 for her reviews :D They really made me smile. I'm glad I made you laugh dear. Let's hope I can keep that funny bone! Okay now you can say bye.

Naruto: But we already said it!

Me: Fine, just me then. :P *waves* Thanks for reading, please review and dance magic dance! XD


	7. We're off to see Hokage,Hokage of Konoha

Hollow Past

Me: So apparently, none of you wanted to magic dance with me XD. Lol ah well. More fun for me! Anyways, I've got a new chapter! YAY!

Sasuke: When are you going to continue your other story?

Me: ….. I have another story? Lol. Just kidding. I actually don't know. You kinda just left and other bishies have been crowding my head demanding attention, especially a certain king. How I lived without knowledge of him I shall never know XD. Anyways, why is everything dancing?

Sakura: Did you get into the sugar stash again?

Me: *Whips head around* There's a sugar stash! *starts bouncing around*

Sakura: *shakes head* Too much sugar isn't healthy for you.

Me: No! I need sugar! It helps me breathe! It gives me inner strength! *runs off* TO THE SUGAR!

Sakura: *facepalms* Goddamit. Well at least Naruto didn't hear me say that or else we would have a huge problem on our hands.

Me: SUGAR!

-line building in progess

Flashback:

Tsunade sat behind her desk thinking. A lot of strange events had been happening lately and they all seemed to center around her young apprentice. Sakura had not been very forth coming about anything she may know but Tsunade was a seasoned shinobi. She knew Sakura was withholding information from her. What bothered Tsunade was for what reason and why? Finally acknowledging her gut which had been feeling off all morning, she reached for the day's lottery ticket and checked her numbers. She froze as the numbers started to match perfectly. She had won the lottery. She rushed to check the size of the pot and tensed. 5 million ryo. She had won 5 million ryo. She cursed and bit her thumb.

"What in the world is going on?"

Present (Here we go!):

The village was just in the middle of spring so blooming trees and sweet smells were all around. It was later than midday so the street they walked wasn't as crowded as it would have been earlier. Sakura started to fidget slightly as they got closer to the Hokage building. Toushiro was still holding her hand, so he noticed her squirming.

"Relax." He said, rubbing her hand soothingly. "From what you have told me of this Tsunade, she will at least listen to what you have to tell her and give you the benefit of the doubt. Then she will think you are completely crazy and institutionalize you." Sakura started then looked at Toushiro's smirking face. She pouted and lightly punched his arm.

"You suck." He shrugged.

"It's a possibility." He glanced at Sakura to see her still pouting and sighed. "You know I was not being serious about the last part chibi."

Sakura sighed too.

"I know. Doesn't mean I'm not worried about how Tsunade-shishou will take it."

Toushiro squeezed her hand.

"You weren't really listening to what I said before, were you."

Sakura gave him a sheepish smile.

"I only got the tail end."

Toushiro smirked and shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised."

Sakura pouted but couldn't keep her composure as the tower loomed before them. She glanced nervously at him and squeezed his hand, giving a tentative smile when he squeezed back. They entered together and only stopped when they reached Tsunade's office door. Sakura hesitated before knocking three times.

"Enter." They both heard. Sakura took a deep breath and opened the door. Tsunade was, surprisingly, going through the paperwork on her desk without Shizune hovering over for once. Sakura came to a stop in front of her desk and took a deep breath, hoping Tsunade wouldn't be too upset with her for withholding information from the woman she had some to see as a mother.

"Ano, Shishou?" Tsunade paused in her perusal of the document in hand as she recognized her second apprentice's voice. She glanced up and saw Sakura and the man that had introduced himself as Hitsugaya Toushiro. She placed the document down, inwardly glad for the distraction (the document was a report from the civilian council and she was soooooo bored with it already), and she leaned back in her chair.

"Sakura? I wasn't expecting you here. Has something happened?" Sakura fidgeted slightly, her hand continuously crumpling her skirt then smoothing it out. Tsunade raised a brow when she noticed. "Sakura? Are you alright?" Sakura continued to fidget as if she hadn't heard. Tsunade's eyes travelled to the room's other occupant who was holding her hand and raised her brow again. Toushiro sighed and squeezed Sakura's hand. She still did not pay attention. "Well," Tsunade said as she moved forward and brought her hands together in a steeple. "Seeing as how my apprentice has temporarily lost cognitive function, the explanation falls to you, Hitsugaya-taichou." Toushiro nodded and smiled wryly.

"It would seem so." He rested a calculating stare at the blonde women who scarily enough, reminded him of his fukutaichou. "What I would like to know first is what you know about the current happenings." Tsunade frowned.

"That depends on what you are talking about. If it's about the current political climate and which alliances are about to crumble and which can be made, I know quite a lot. Or about when an enemy village is about to fall open to coordinated strike attacks or when an assassination is needed, I have the knowledge. One of the perks of running a shinobi village. However, if you are referring to the strange happenings that is going on in my own village, I know virtually nothing. Nothing about this unknown enemy. Nothing about who is behind it. Nothing about anything that would have a possible link to what's happening. And apparently," She glanced at Sakura, her frown turning into a neutral line. "Nothing about why my apprentice is like this and how she is involved in what's happening." Her gaze returned to Toushiro, her frown retuning and her eyes sharpening. "I don't like not knowing what's happening in my village." Toushiro nodded.

"I can understand that. What you must understand is that this came as a surprise to us as well." Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. She saw an opening to gain more information about this newcomer and she was going to seize it.

"And who exactly is _us_?" Toushiro kept his face stoic as he answered but silently was acknowledging that the woman in front of him was quite formidable.

"The Gotei 13." Tsunade crossed her arms and a skeptical look crossed her face. She had never heard of such a group with that name and wondered if she had to speak to Jiraiya about them.

"A secret organization I presume?" Sakura glanced up still fidgeting but not so much anymore. She gathered her courage and took deep breaths.

"_Shiro-kun is right._" Sakura thought as she looked at Tsunade's face. "_Shishou is understanding and will at least listen to us."_

"Sort of shishou." Tsunade's gaze moved to Sakura, her features softening.

"And what does sort of mean, Sakura?" Sakura stopped fidgeting and started to rub her right arm.

"Well, people do know about us." She paused and took a deep breath. "_Here comes the plunge._" She thought. "Just not _living_ people." The silence afterwards was palpable. Sakura looked everywhere but Tsunade until her eyes came to rest on her right hand. It was still entwined with Toushiro's. "_Wait, have we been like this the whole time?" _Sakura thought, a small blush blooming on her cheeks. Toushiro glanced at her face to see if she was alright and followed her line of sight. He blushed slightly as well but figured if she wasn't going to let go, neither was he. Sakura quickly looked away but her eyes fell on her teacher. Said teacher had an incredulous expression pasted on her face however, a few moments after Sakura's eyes moved on to her, a neutral look took its place. The room was silent as they waited for Tsunade to properly process what had just been said.

"If I understand what you just said correctly, your organization deals with the dead." Sakura nodded, apprehensive of Tsunade's true reaction. Tsunade frowned and brought her hands together on her desk. "Does this involve some sort of fuinjutsu or forbidden jutsu that none but your organization knows of?" When Sakura shook her, Tsunade sighed. She got up from her desk and crossed the room. Sakura tensed out of nervousness as Tsunade disappeared out the door for a few moments. When she reentered, Shizune was behind her carrying tea and two other shinobi carrying a couch. Once the couch was situated and the tea on the desk, Shizune and the shinobi left. Tsunade gestured to the couch in invitation and Sakura sank into the sofa gratefully. She didn't think she could stand on her own power at the moment and when Sakura sat down Toushiro went with her, not willing to relinquish her hand just yet. He felt she would need this small comfort until she felt surer of Tsunade's position. Tsunade had already situated herself back behind her desk and poured herself a glass of tea before offering a cup to them. Toushiro accepted but Sakura declined. She didn't think her anxiousness would let her digest anything. "Well, now that we're more comfortable, you can help me understand what you mean a little better." A small encouraging smile on her face, mostly directed at Sakura. Sakura glanced at Toushiro and he inclined his head a little. She took that as the go ahead and took a deep breath. This would be quite the explanation.

"As you know, when a person passes, the soul leaves the body. Now sometimes, a soul does not automatically move on to heaven. It has to be guided to the next plane. Those souls are called pluses. Pluses are souls that find it hard to move on because they need to fufill a goal like looking after someone they loved, protecting a place or even a want to settle a grudge. That is where the Gotei 13 come in. The Gotei 13 are thirteen squads of shinigami, each with their own specializations. The shinigami send the pluses to Soul Society, which is like the middle ground between heaven and earth. There, souls wait to move on or become shinigami. But, sending on pluses is not all shinigami do. Sometimes, when we do not reach a soul in time, they become Hollows. They are those creatures that have been showing up with increasing regularity shishou. A Hollow is a departed soul that has either given in to despair or has been in the world of the living too long. The time it takes for a plus to turn into a Hollow depends on the length of their Chain of Fate. It's literally a chain sticking out of their chests that usually ties the plus to whatever is keeping them there or it could be cut and they roam free. When that chain deteriorates, it becomes a Hollow. As a Hollow, it gains this insatiable hunger to devour other pluses. Shinigamis stop Hollows by slaying them like you saw me do. Usually that sends them on to Soul Society. Other times, no. Essentially, shinigami keep the spiritual balance." Sakura stopped to let the information sink in. Tsunade had her hand on her chin and looked contemplative.

"That explains what you do. Not why you are here nor why these Hollows are showing up with more frequency."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"Soutaichou sent me here, saying that this district would be my responsibility until such a time when I am called back. He told me to integrate with the society here to better blend in as I could be spotted since reiatsu levels are higher here. I report back every other week but apparently I haven't been kept abreast of the situation in Soul Society since I have no real idea why. I just know Hollows have been showing up more and Arrancars have come for me."

Tsunade's eyebrows rose.

"For you? Why?"

Toushiro let out a small cough to draw their attention to him.

"That has yet to be discussed with the shinigami here with us and it would be prudent to discuss the situation with them first."

Tsunade nodded.

"I can understand that. But then it begs the question as to why you are here, telling me this? Why do you feel after," She paused to think of the phrase she needed to use. "However long you shinigami have operated, that you need to come forward now? Has the situation turned so serious that you need to reveal yourself to the living?"

Toushiro's face turned grave and he placed his cup down while Sakura frowned.

"For all intents and purposes, yes. Months ago, we were betrayed by three captains of our own ranks. They joined with the Hollows and are gathering power as we speak. Part of that is boosting Hollows to higher levels to make their forces stronger. The highest level would be the Arrancars. At the moment, our intel tells that a large contingent of Hollows are on their way here led by two Arrancars. And while our contingent is strong, the horde is calling all the stray Hollows in this land to them. I have no doubt that we could defeat them but the cost would be too high. We would not be able to protect everyone and deal with the Hollows at the same time. Soutaichou cannot send anymore men because he is preparing for a much larger battle in the future so he suggested if we needed more, that because the reiatsu levels are higher here, your shinobi may be able to help." Tsunade rested her elbows on her desk and moved her mouth behind her folded hands.

"So what is it that you are suggesting exactly? We have tried to retaliate against these Hollows that have attacked our village yet it doesn't work. Nothing we tried harmed them. The only thing that worked was when Sakura destroyed them with her, what did you call it? Ah yes, zanpakutou."

Toushiro nodded, his face thoughtful.

"I did not know that. Soutaichou only told me of the potential use of chakra against Hollows but not if it was effective or not. The souls that have come to Soul Society have not let Kurotsuchi-taichou investigate thoroughly."

Sakura snorted.

"Of course they wouldn't. No one in their right mind would." At Tsunade's questioning look, Sakura elaborated. "Kurotsuchi-taichou is the taichou in charge of the 12th division which is R&D. He's a brilliant scientist and he has helped Soul Society with some of his inventions, it's just that he lacks," She paused and looked around for the proper word.

"Boundaries." Toushiro supplied. She nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes. Well, sort of. But that's beside the point."

Tsunade dipped her head in agreement.

"Yes, the heart of the matter is if we can defend and maybe even defeat these Hollows that are attacking the village." She stood and went to the window, pondering over what had just been spoken, when her mind zeroed in on Hitsugaya-taichou's words in her head. She spun around quickly, placed both hands on her desk a little harder than she meant to and looked at both of them. "Did you just say the souls that _have_ made it over? Some of our people became shinigami when they died?" Sakura hesitantly nodded. Tsunade sat down in her chair with a plop. Sakura would have laughed if the situation was different. Tsunade was quiet for what seemed like hours but was only ten or so minutes. "Would it be too much to ask who they were?" Sakura shook her head, her face saddening.

"I don't know if that's for the best shishou." Tsunade let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

"Probably better that I don't know." She said softly, her eyes had a glassy look and were trained into the far-off distance. Both figured she was reminiscing on the past. The room was quiet for some time before Tsunade snapped back to the present. "Alright, so how are we going to go about this then?" Sakura leaned back on the couch and shrugged. Toushiro, who had refilled his cup and was drinking, set his cup down again.

"It looks like the only option would be to attempt to teach some of your shinobi shinigami arts and see if that works." He stated. "It's not the best option but unfortunately, it seems to be the only one."

Tsunade sighed.

"Well I honestly cannot tell you a yes or no answer to that option without an idea of how this will affect my shinobi. There could be so many factors like what it would do to their bodies or souls, if it will impede their chakra, will this affect the balance shinigami keep. While I understand that there is a looming threat, I won't put them I danger." Both nodded and Sakura exhaled softly.

"Shishou, we understand. Really we do but we have no way of knowing how it will affect them. None of the ninja that have crossed over will let Kurostuchi-taichou near them and Kurotsuchi-taichou will let no one be the first to explore this new ground other than him." Tsunade raised a brow.

"And your soutaichou cannot simply order someone else to do it? He has the authority to supersede this Kurotsuchi-taichou, why not just do it?" Sakura gave a wry smile and Toushiro softly scoffed.

"He has asked other members of the 12th division but they are all afraid of Kurostuchi-taichou. Apparently the last time anyone attempted to offer a different opinion or do something not asked of Kurotsuchi-taichou, they were turned into a soul bomb" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that revelation with a slight look of horror on her face.

"A soul bomb?" She asked. Sakura shook her head, shuddering.

"You don't want to know." Tsunade's brow furrowed.

"Then where do we go from here?" Sakura slightly fidgeted before voicing her idea.

"Well we could ask Ichigo how he learned and go from there." Tsunade looked slightly confused while Toushiro nodded.

"It could work. The only thing is that we'd have to go to Urahara's for supplies." Tsunade was still slightly confused.

"Ichigo? Is he part of the group that came here?" Sakura nodded. "But how is he different?"

"Kurosaki is still part of the living but became a shinigami anyway. He is still who he was and there have been no negative side effects that I have seen." Tsunade was partly stunned before she caught on.

"And you're hoping to replicate the same method he used on my shinobi?" Toushiro nodded. Tsunade contemplated in silence before she sighed and nodded as well. "It sounds better then fumbling in the dark for a light switch." Sakura smiled and bounced in her seat.

"Then let's go find Ichigo!"

-line building halted

Me: Hehe I've finished a chapter yay!

Sakura: I've been holding his hand for the entire time?!

Me: *smirks* You're actually still doing it now.

Sakura & Toushiro: *blushes*

Me: Bwahaha they're so cute! Anyways please review. Seriously, cause I would like some feedback specially cause I think the writing in this chapter is lacking so constructive criticism would be nice! lol I just noticed, I have 69 reviews for this story right now. 69 *pft* lol okay. Immature moment over. Thank you and see you next time!

Naruto: Hey! Where am I?!


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